The Right Path
by Eady of Old
Summary: AU S2 Unable to find grounds for a divorce from Vera, Bates stays away from Downton and Anna until fate intervenes with a chance meeting in London.
1. Chapter 1

**The Right Path**

**Summary: **AU S2 Unable to find grounds for a divorce from Vera, Bates stays away from Downton and Anna until fate intervenes with a chance meeting in London.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Downton Abbey. Shocking, I know, but no offense is intended by the borrowing of these fine characters.

**A/N: This began as a "what if" alternate season/series 2 and 3. The premise is that Bates never found the necessary evidence to prove Vera's infidelity which would have allowed him to seek a divorce. Instead, he stays in London and away from Anna for over two years until fate intervenes in their lives. Reviews are appreciated.**

* * *

He left for Anna's sake, really. While he hated the notion of enveloping Lord Grantham and his family in the sort of scandal Vera had threatened, in the end, he left Downton for the woman he loved. Bates suspected that the story of the Turkish diplomat's death was true, although it did not really matter. Anna's role in the tale would ensure her ruin just as certainly as it would guarantee Lady Mary's.

Two and a half years had passed since that fateful day, and every one of them was a misery for Bates. He simply existed, spending his days working in a restaurant kitchen and his nights tending bar. Truthfully, working two jobs was not strictly necessary, but the more time he spent away from the house and Vera, the better. During his free time, he read in the park or took long walks through the city.

He gave his wife no money and brought home little food or drink, forcing her to get a job if she wanted more than the bare essentials living in his mother's house afforded. She raged at him at every opportunity, but Bates had learned that her harsh words and insults no longer held any sting. Nothing she could say or do would ever approach the pain she'd caused at making him leave Downton. And Anna.

"Maybe you should just go back to your harlot," she remarked icily one evening as he returned home, her barbed tone laced with the familiar accent of too much scotch. How she got the alcohol, he knew not, although he suspected her of selling some of his mother's possessions.

"I would return to Downton, gladly," he said.

Vera glared at him through bloodshot eyes. "Like I would ever let you go, my philandering, pathetic excuse for a husband," she sneered sarcastically.

"If I'm such a terrible husband, why force me to stay?"

"To punish you."

So went most of their conversations. Next she would be asking for money.

"I need to buy food," she said, her voice suddenly changing to a plea. "Food and some new clothes."

"Then get a job," he suggested.

"Why should I work when it is your responsibility to provide for me?"

"I will give you as much money as you want if you grant me a divorce."

Shaking her head slowly, she pronounced, "Never."

"Then live without food and clothes," he told her before going to his bedroom. Thankfully, his mother's house had enough space for them to sleep separately. He shuddered at the thought of having to share a bed with Vera. And after she'd tried to crawl in with him several times, drunk and naked, he'd begun to lock his door at night.

Mostly, Bates found what joy he could in life through simple pleasures. He read a lot - books and poetry and newspapers. He talked to people at his work, both customers at the bar and the cook at the restaurant where he worked. He could sometimes achieve a sort of peace as he peeled potatoes and discussed philosophy with Steven as the other man took breaks from the kitchen.

And at night, he dreamed of Anna.

He so longed for a glimpse of her. Sometimes he thought about writing to her, just to see how she was doing. He could use the address at the restaurant to ensure Vera did not intercept their correspondence. But just as quickly as the notion occurred to him, he discarded it.

Bates had no right to interrupt Anna's life again. He had already done enough damage in breaking her heart.

_I'd live in sin with you._

The memory of her words tortured him as they made a never-ending loop in his mind. On the one hand, he could have been happy with her, living together as a lovers instead of a respectable husband and wife. Bates suspected that he could have made her reasonably happy as well. But at the same time, such a life would have been bought at the expense of Anna's reputation and honor, and possibly even her future. After all, what would she do if something happened to him? She would be left alone, known to everyone as both a fornicator and adulterer.

Bates refused to treat her so cruelly. Anna deserved more than that, even if he was forced to give her up so she could find it with someone else.

Besides Vera, his friend Steven was the only one who knew about Anna.

"You should go see her," he advised.

Sighing in resignation, Bates responded, "I can't. It wouldn't be fair to her."

"You must really love this girl," Steven laughed. "I've never seen a more miserable bloke than you, John."

"I just wish I knew how she was getting on," he lamented.

"You mean you want to know if she's moved on," Steven said knowingly.

"I hope she has, I really do. She deserves to be happy, and I can't give her that, not while I'm married to Vera."

"I'm sorry, mate. That's a tough break."

Steven clapped him on the back before returning to work, whistling as he went. While the cook sympathized with his situation, he could not really understand it seeing as how he had a wonderful wife at home and more children than he could count. Bates envied his friend's life.

Picking up another in a large pile of unpeeled potatoes, he allowed himself to indulge in the fantasy of sharing such a future with Anna. He could see her surrounded by children as she kept their small house neat and tidy. They would share a bed, unlike he and Vera, and he would spend as much time in her company as he could, even stealing home on lunch breaks for just a moment with her.

But Bates knew that all his imaginings would only ever be that - a fantasy.

* * *

That afternoon, as he walked from the restaurant to a tea room where he liked to stop before heading to his second job, he saw a familiar face on the sidewalk walking towards him. The sight of the woman warmed him and he found himself grinning despite himself. She lit up similarly as she recognized his figure.

"Mister Bates," she said, stopping in front of him. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

"It is good to see you, Mrs. Hughes," he greeted her. They simply looked at each other for a moment, each taking the other in. She had not changed a bit in the nearly three years since he'd left Downton.

"What brings you to London?" he asked casually.

"The family is in town for the season," she explained. "Almost everyone is at the house here. Only Mrs. Patmore, Mr. Carson, and a few of the housemaids are still at Downton."

Bates nodded in understanding. "And how are you doing, Mr. Bates?" she asked more jovially. "We'd hoped you might write to let us know how you were getting on."

"I'm well enough, thank you," he answered, although she could likely see the misery in his eyes. Everyone else could. Forcing himself to ignore her sympathetic expression, he asked quietly, "How is... everyone?"

"Well, you may have heard that Lady Sybil has gotten married."

Smiling, Bates said, "Yes, I did hear. There was a great deal of talk about Lady Sybil and Mr. Branson's marriage. But I'm glad for them. And I heard Lady Mary and Mr. Crawley have gotten engaged."

"That they have," Mrs. Hughes confirmed, "Although they certainly took their time going about it. But there has been bad news as well. Poor William was killed in the war."

Closing his eyes as he sighed at the news, Bates said, "That is terrible news. So many lives were lost. How did Daisy take it?"

"Actually, they brought him home to die, and she agreed to marry him just before it happened. I think the poor thing probably got pushed into it a bit, but at least she'll get some benefits as his widow."

Bates had always liked both William and Daisy, and he hated learning of the young man's death, although he ventured to think that if he'd died with the young kitchen maid by his side - as his wife - then he likely died happy.

"And how is..." He paused, barely able to complete the question. Finally, he forced it out. "How is she, Mrs. Hughes?"

The woman regarded him a moment before speaking. "She gets on well enough, although she suffered a great deal after you left."

"I had no wish to hurt her. I hope you know that."

"Oh, I do, Mr. Bates, I do. Actually," she said, looking embarrassed, "I have a confession to make. When I let you and Mrs. Bates have tea in my sitting room, I did so with an ulterior motive. There's a grate in the wall, you see, and I'm ashamed to admit that I listened in to your conversation."

He smiled at her, more amused than irritated. "I suspected something of the sort, but I didn't know about the grate. But that means you know why I had to leave."

"You were protecting the family. And Anna."

"Yes," he agreed. "Especially Anna."

It hurt to say her name out loud, especially to someone who knew him as well as Mrs. Hughes.

"I didn't tell her, you know, not what Mrs. Bates threatened to reveal."

"Good. I didn't want her to know. Is she still at Downton?" he inquired. The housekeeper's eyes betrayed her understanding of his real question.

_Had she married someone else?_

"Yes, she is. She's now a proper lady's maid to Lady Mary."

"Very good," Bates acknowledged, letting out the breath he'd been holding.

Mrs. Hughes hesitated a moment before confiding softly, "She still loves you, Mister Bates."

His shoulders slumped. Elation at her words mixed with guilt that Anna had not moved on. How could he ever forgive himself for hurting her?

"Part of me hoped she would find someone else," he admitted.

"I think there's little chance of that."

The hopelessness of the situation struck Bates, and for a moment, he allowed himself to enjoy the rarity of being able to talk to someone about it, someone who knew both him and Anna.

"I never had any right to her love, Mrs. Hughes," he stated. "But she gave it so freely, and I... I let myself entertain the possibility of actually being happy with her. I proposed to her, before Vera came back. Did you know that? We were making plans for when I thought I could get a divorce."

Mrs. Hughes gently patted his arm. "So I take it Mrs. Bates is still... Mrs. Bates?" she asked.

"Unfortunately. She refuses to consent to a divorce and the attorneys I have consulted say I have no grounds to file if she fights it. And if I leave, she's threatened to sell her story to the papers out of spite."

"Perhaps you should just let her... You seem so miserable, Mr. Bates, and that isn't healthy. Lady Mary will survive the scandal."

Bates shook his head. "Maybe she would, but not Anna. Anna isn't the daughter of an Earl, and her reputation would be irreparably damaged."

"You worry about Anna's reputation a great deal," Mrs. Hughes observed.

"Before I left, she told me... she told me to let Vera ruin her," he said, almost choking on his emotions. "She was standing there in tears, her heart broken, and she said that didn't care what people might say, that she'd _live in sin _with me."

Just repeating the words out loud sounded wrong, as though he were sullying her with the very thought. But if he expected the housekeeper to be shocked, he was sorely disappointed. She only formed her lips into a thin line and patted his arm again softly. "I believe she would, very happily."

"I couldn't do that to her," Bates hissed, despising himself. "She deserves so much more than I can ever offer. But at the very least, I can't ask her to give up everything she has now just to be with me. I can think of nothing more selfish on my part."

"It isn't selfish to want a little joy out of life," she offered.

"It is if I hurt her to get it."

"I wish you could see how unhappy she is with you gone," Mrs. Hughes ventured. "She's still the same Anna on the outside, but for those of us who know her best, its like her inner light has dimmed. She's not herself without you around."

Bates let out a ragged breath at the image she painted. He'd never intended to cause Anna pain, not for one moment. He should have left Downton as soon as she admitted her feelings for him that day on the road. He should never have begun making plans with her. Or kissed her. Or let her fall so far in love with him.

"You should come and see her while we're all still in London."

He looked sharply at the housekeeper, the suggestion startling him. His heart beat wildly at the prospect of seeing Anna again, but he had to refuse. Unable to face her, unable to torture her further with his presence, he had to refuse. Nothing with Vera was settled. His hopes for a divorce were all but gone.

"I can't," he said. "It wouldn't be right."

"At least think about it. I know she's been worried about you."

He inclined his head, a silent acquiescence to her request. With a start he realized that he would be late for work. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hughes, but I have to go to my other job..."

"Your other job?" she asked.

"During the day I work in the kitchen at a restaurant, mostly just doing prep work. In the evenings I work at a pub down yonder." He nodded down the street.

"Well, then I won't keep you. You know where the house is here in town, I imagine."

"I do know where it is," Bates affirmed.

"Then I hope to see you again soon."

"Mrs. Hughes, I can't promise-"

Holding up a hand to stop him, she said, "I know, I know. And I find your restraint very honorable, Mr. Bates, if not a bit daft and verging on martyrdom. Just think about what I've said, is all I ask."

"I will. I definitely will."

The conversation with Mrs. Hughes stayed with Bates the rest of the evening, and even as he laid down in his bed late that night, he could not get it out of his head. He heard Vera through the door out in the sitting room, laughing as she drunkenly stumbled through the house. The wall shook and then he heard something made of glass break. Bates ran his hands through his hair as he stared up at the dark ceiling.

He had to see Anna. The need grew within him like a wild thing, uncontrolled and unstoppable. The only thing to sate it was a glimpse of her. Resolving the next day to at least investigate Lord Grantham's London house, Bates finally fell asleep.

* * *

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, great response on my first chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews. Feedback is so fantastic. **

**Since I'm essentially re-writing S2 to suit myself, some of the scenes and dialogue will track the show a bit. I've tried to adjust the show timeline the best I can but feel free to attribute any deviations to artistic license.**

* * *

Having the afternoon off from his job at the pub, Bates set off on his mission after his shift ended at the restaurant. Steven wished him well in the venture having already given up on trying to talk him into just walking up to the door and knocking.

"I can't do that," Bates had told him. "Not only did I break Anna's heart, but I left on bad terms with His Lordship."

He regretted the damage to his relationship with the Earl. Under other circumstances, he would have confided in him the truth about Vera's blackmail scheme. But not when it involved Lord Grantham's own daughter. He could not do that to the man.

Finding the house easily, Bates bought a newspaper and installed himself a short way down the street at the corner of a building. Using the paper as both a cover and a shield from others' eyes, he peeked over the top in hopes of spotting her.

An hour passed and nothing. No one entered or left, at least not through the back door which the servants used. He began to suspect that she had no reason to leave the house, and that the growing pain in his knee would force him to give up the venture for that day.

But then he saw her.

His breath caught in his throat and the fingertips holding open the newspaper went numb. She looked so lovely in her fitted coat and woolen hat, the dark colors of both contrasting with her fair skin. She carried a basket and a purse, as though she were out to run errands and pick things up in the city. Bates' heart filled at the sight of her and he involuntarily let the newspaper drop. At the same moment, she looked up.

Her face was so full of sadness that he could have wept. He agreed with Mrs. Hughes - the light in her had dimmed. Her blue eyes, obviously grown used to searching and never finding, made their way down the street to his position, and in an instant, Bates knew that she had seen him.

She froze, her expression one of shock verging on horror.

In that instance, Bates knew he had to escape. He had no intention of her seeing him, and any confrontation would go badly at this point. Dipping around the corner of the building where he'd posted himself, he ducked into an alley and then behind a pile of trash and debris. Littered cigarette butts and empty bottles betrayed the place as a hiding spot for some local youths. He listened to her footsteps as she ran down the alley, obviously following him.

But Bates remained silent and concealed. For a moment, he heard her breaths coming in quick gasps from running so fast.

She'd run after him. He had left her, broken hearted, to return to London with his wife over two years earlier and still, she broke into a run at a tiny glimpse of him. Anguished, he wanted to cry, to let out his pain in heavy sobs and a river of tears. But Anna would hear him. Instead, he brought his fist to his face and pushed it against his lips, hard. When he would have cried out at the sound of her retreating steps, he bit into the flesh of his fingers instead, reveling in the physical agony that so closely mirrored what he'd seen in her face at the sight of him.

He stayed hidden in the alley until he was certain she'd gone.

* * *

"How did it go?" Steven asked him the next morning.

"Terrible," he responded miserably. "She spotted me."

"What did you say to her?"

"Nothing. I ran away."

Steven chuckled at him wryly. "A real Casanova, you are."

"I never should have gone," Bates sighed. "I was being selfish. Now I've likely stirred up all her old memories again."

"Then maybe you should go and see her, proper-like?" the other man put out. "Now as you've got nothing to lose."

But Bates shook his head. "I'm no closer to a divorce from Vera. Until that happens, I have no business pursuing Anna."

He walked through the rest of the day in a fog, the encounter with Anna weighing on him heavily. How could he have been so stupid to have let her see him? He'd likely only hurt her again, and he hated himself all the more for it.

Vera was in top form that night, tipsy and waiting for him as he returned home.

"I don't know why you won't let me in your room at night," she remarked saucily. "What we do in the bed was always the only thing that worked in our marriage."

"I don't love you," he told her bluntly. "And I have no desire to be with you."

He's said the words to her before, and she cast them off just as readily. "Who said anything about love, my dear? I was talking about having some _fun_. Surely you can save your love for that harlot at Downton. I doubt very much she ever put out for you-"

"You will not speak of her in that manner, not to me," Bates said sharply, finally having enough.

"Ah, I have hit a nerve," Vera gloated. She eyed him like a cat which had found a juicy mouse hidden in the barn and marked it as prey. "Really, Batesy, do you think your precious Anna will have waited for you all this time? She's probably stepping out with a farmer by now. You know, someone who can actually do something in life."

"If only she was," Bates murmured to himself unhappily, "maybe I could let her go..."

For all her faults, Vera had excellent hearing and a sharp mind. Her general good humor evaporated immediately, replaced by daggers stabbing from her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Have you seen her? You know the rules."

"I haven't seen her," Bates responded quickly, glad that he could inject some truth into that statement.

"You better not have done," Vera warned. "Because if I found out you've gone back on your word..."

Anna's world would be torn to pieces, along with the rest of the people he knew at Downton. Bates could not stand the thought of such an occurrence, not when he had brought this scourge of a woman upon them all.

Vera had no success in enticing him to her bed that night, and he felt great satisfaction at the click of the lock on the bedroom door. If only he could find some proof of her infidelity. The lawyers had said that if he had enough evidence, he could force through the divorce despite Vera's wishes. But his wife was a clever woman. She concealed her affairs well.

He had the next morning off at the restaurant, but he went in anyway just to see if Steven needed help. Any occupation was preferable to dealing with Vera, hung over and irritable. As he entered the kitchen through the back door, he heard the cook talking to someone out in the dining area, Steven's usual laugh carrying through the otherwise empty room. The restaurant would not open to the public for another hour, and out of curiosity, Bates stuck his head out to see who the man conversed with so early in the morning.

His heart nearly stopped dead in his chest.

There she was - Anna. She was sitting at a table opposite Steven, talking like they were old friends. He could not see her face, only her hat and the soft curves of her neck, but he knew it was her.

"So then I says to him, if you can peel a potato as fast as you poured that drink, I've got a job for you," Steven finished his story. The man looked up as he spotted Bates entering the dining area through the kitchen door. "And speak of the devil."

Anna turned towards him, instantly standing from her place at the table. Ten feet, perhaps, separated them. Ten feet and two and a half years, but there she was, looking at him as though no one else in the world existed.

"She came by looking for you this morning, mate," Steven advised him. But Bates could say nothing, unable to take his eyes off Anna. "I'll just leave you to it then," the cook added and disappeared just as quickly.

Bates could not keep the smile off of his face. Even with everything he'd done, all the pain he'd caused her, he could not overcome the sheer joy of being in her presence once more, selfish or not.

"Mrs. Hughes said she saw you, out on the street," Anne explained. "I did some digging and found out you work here." He only nodded. "I had to see you," she went on, "Especially after I thought I spotted you."

"It was me," he confessed. "Mrs. Hughes said everyone was in town for the season, and I so longed for a glimpse of you."

Shrugging shyly, Anna allowed, "Well now you've had it. What next?"

Gesturing to the table she'd just vacated, Bates circled around to take the seat across from her Steven had left. "Would you like to talk?" he asked.

Nodding nervously, she sat down with him. Her gloved hands looked so tiny against the table - he'd forgotten how small and delicate she was. He could also see the resentment in her eyes. Not hate - never hate - but she did betray her anger at him having left her.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, "Perhaps a cup of tea?"

"You can give me an explanation," Anna responded archly.

Ducking his head, he answered, "I wish I could. I've treated you horribly, and for that I can never forgive myself, let alone ask for your forgiveness."

She frowned before stating, "Mrs. Hughes said you haven't been able to get a divorce."

"I've been trying," he said, "but it seems this particular mistake is likely to follow me for the rest of my life. I had no right to involve you, Anna, not before I was sure I could be free."

"I told you how I felt about that," Anna said. He could see that she still clung to her anger at him like a lifeline, but it was quickly slipping through her fingers.

"I can't let Vera hurt you."

She shook her head. "But you already have. Nothing she could do to me would be half as painful as these years spent apart from you."

With a sigh, Bates focused his eyes on the table. Her burning gaze, so full of both love and betrayal, tore at his soul.

"I am so full of regrets, Anna. Had I my life to do over again, I would change so many things."

He'd never have married Vera, that was for certain. He'd have stayed out of the bottle and avoided prison. And upon arriving at Downton, he would have courted Anna properly, free to do so and a much more worthy man. They'd likely have married within a year of meeting, if she'd agreed. And even now they would be happy together, perhaps even with the makings of a small family.

Instead, Anna stared at him across an empty table, the longing of her heart showing through her eyes and the sadness of her expression. "I wouldn't change anything except the day we parted," she told him.

Bates looked away from her, the pain in her eyes scalding his heart.

"We don't have to wait for the divorce," she continued. "We could go away. I would throw up everything and come with you, if you'd let me."

Bigamy was a crime, Bates knew. If he took Anna to another county, perhaps even another country, and tried to marry her, he could face prison again, not to mention what the scandal would do to her. "I can't marry you legally, and I won't break the law," he said.

Anna cocked her head at him as though he had missed the substance of her offer. Clarifying, she said flatly, "It's not against the law to take a mistress, Mister Bates."

_I'd live in sin with you._

She spoke so casually of it that he could hardly breath. What Anna was suggesting, what she'd offered to do before... He despised himself for considering the offer, knowing how much of a sacrifice it would require of her. Anna may not be a great lady with a bank full of money or an estate or a noble title. But she was a good woman with a good name and an honest occupation. Being with him would strip her of all that, at least in the eyes of society. Even if they found someplace quiet where others did not know them, one hint of scandal would destroy everything they worked to attain.

And Anna would be the one to shoulder most of the burden. Men had been conducting illicit affairs for centuries, possibly even since time began. They were not looked on favorably, of course, but much of the time such indiscretions were overlooked. But for a respectable woman to do such a thing... it was unthinkable. Her reputation would be forever sullied.

"I know you Anna Smith, and I love you and that is not the right path for you," he told her sincerely, wishing that there was more he could offer her.

But Anna shook her head, determined. "Any path that leads me to you is the right path for me," she insisted.

He could not fathom a reply. Her love and commitment absolutely astonished him. Never could he have imagined someone like her, truly an angel sent from heaven above. An angel and a temptress both.

"I couldn't live with myself for bringing ruin down on you," he sighed.

Sighing at his refusal, Anna stated, "At least tell me what she's threatening. You refused before, and I think I have a right to know."

Bates nodded. She did have a right to know.

"She used my name to get a position working for Lady Flincher. While there, she became privy to a rumor about Lady Mary, something that could destroy her socially."

Anna swallowed. "What?"

"Something about that Turkish gentleman dying in her bed, and that she made you help her carry him back to his own room in the morning."

Anna's mouth fell open and she looked away in shock and shame. So the story was true, Bates instantly deduced.

"She didn't make me," Anna said quietly. "She asked and I was glad to help her. She was beside herself."

"That must have been very difficult for you."

She shrugged. "He was heavy, but I'm hardly a shrinking violent. Lady Mary actually knew the gentleman, so it was much more difficult for her. Of course, you're right - the scandal would do her in if the story ever got out."

Lady Mary and Anna both, although she did not acknowledge that fact.

"You see now, why I left with Vera," he said quietly.

"I feel a little better knowing it wasn't only for me," she allowed. "But I refuse to let you give up on us because of this and I refuse to let you waste the rest of our lives pining. We will be together, Mister Bates. If you cannot get a divorce, then I will love you outside the sanctity of marriage. And I will do so as the happiest woman on earth."

Standing up from the table, Anna added, "I'll be back tomorrow and we can discuss this further. But before I leave, Mr. Bates... I want you to kiss me."

Smiling at her ruefully, Bates got up and circle the table to her side. She stood primly, her shoulders straight and her chin tilted upward as she looked at him. The years of their separation had been kind to her despite the anguish he'd put her through. She still looked as beautiful as the day they'd met, even if her blue eyes seemed a bit darker and more wizened by time.

He wanted to kiss her - oh how he'd dreamed of it - but Bates hesitated, his desire warring with his honor in not wanting to compromise her virtue. They'd kissed once before, but that moment was born of his inappropriate proposal to her. This kiss would be wholly improper.

Anna decided the matter by threading one hand behind his neck and forcibly pulling his mouth down to hers. In an instant, years of restraint vanished, and she melted into his arms. He kissed her deeply, furiously, her lips parting to grant him access to her mouth. The heat of her drove him on, and he pulled her body flush with his, suddenly unable to get enough of her.

She kissed him back with equal abandon, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging to him in desperation. Her enthusiastic response only stoked his need for her, and when she groaned into his mouth at the feel of his hand on her waist, he almost lost himself.

Finally, he pulled away from her. Her lips were swollen and red from their kiss and her eyes shone as bright as he'd ever seen them. Bates knew that if she did not leave soon, he would be in great danger of embarrassing himself with his growing desire for her.

Sensing his quandary, she told him simply, "I'll be back to see you tomorrow," and dipped out of the empty restaurant.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Bates walked back into the kitchen. Steven looked up from his work as he entered.

"Was it as bad as you feared?" the other man asked.

"Worse," Bates answered honestly. "She still loves me and she wants us to run away together."

"Oh, how awful, mate. I'm sorry," Steven responded sarcastically. His voice switching back to normal, he demanded, "Are you a daft fool, man? That woman is pretty and kind and aside from being head over heels for you, I couldn't see a thing wrong with her."

"Aside from her feelings for me, she is absolutely perfect," Bates confirmed, still remembering the feel of her lips against his and her lithe body molded to him. "And I don't think I have the strength to keep fighting this, Steven. I'm going to give Vera one more chance to grant me the divorce, but if she refuses..." He let out a halting breath. "If she refuses, I will do as Anna wants, the consequences be damned."

His friend clapped him on the back cheerfully. "That's the spirit."

* * *

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Big thanks for all the great responses. I was kind of hesitant about this story but decided to write it anyway since I'm never quite satisfied with how things play out on screen. And to the guest who left a review on chapter 1 suggesting I write a "love triangle" S2 variation... You inspired me, and I started working on something with a similar premise ;-)**

* * *

That night, he waited for Vera to return home. Two items sat on his mother's kitchen table in front of him - a new bottle of scotch and a small jeweler's pouch. She entered more quietly than usual, not stumbling or laughing at her own antics. And while Bates could detect the smell of alcohol on her breath, he knew that she was not drunk.

Good. Her sobriety would make things go easier.

"And what's this now?" she asked him with a smile of delight.

"This is for you," he said, holding out the bottle to her.

"I thought you refused to spend any money on your poor wife," Vera said.

Forcing a small smile, he responded, "Consider it a peace offering."

"And will you have a glass with me?" she asked, opening the bottle and pouring herself some into a tumbler.

"No. But I do wish to talk to you."

"If it is about you wanting a divorce, you can save your breath."

"It is about that, but I think you'll want to hear what I have to say."

Perhaps sensing the seriousness and finality in his voice, Vera took the seat across from him.

"I saw Anna today," he began.

"That is a violation of our agreement," she interrupted.

"I know. And for what it's worth, she sought me out at work. But I will no longer be blackmailed by you, Vera. If you want to sell your story to the newspapers, then do so. I can't stop you. I'll pay twice what any of them will for it, but I know you don't care about that."

Knowing he had her attention, Bates went on. "You see, I'm moving out of this house tomorrow. As it is in my name and is my property, I will be selling it as soon as possible."

"You can't do that-"

"I can and I will," Bates reiterated strongly. "I will be going away with Anna. She's willing to be with me even if I'm still married to you. I plan to support her as a man would his wife. We will be comfortable together and happy. You, however, will be left with no where to live and no support from me."

She glared at him so hard that he wondered if she would physically strike him. Bates picked up the pouch from in front of him and emptied the contents into his hand. Vera's eyes lit up at the shiny material, following it like a cat would a string.

The necklace was gold encrusted with several crystals of various values. Bates had found it at a jeweler's shop on his way home from work and paid a considerable sum for it, knowing it was just the type of thing to tempt his wife.

"Because I cannot give her a wedding ring, I plan to give Anna this," he stated. "I plan to buy her presents and clothes and whatever else her heart might desire to make up for living in sin with me. You, however, will be left with nothing but my name."

"You can't just abandon me," Vera said hotly.

"Oh, I can, and I will. Unless of course you wish to change your mind. I want this divorce very much, but I can live my life without it if you decide that continuing to punish me is worth more to you than what I'm prepared to offer."

She sat quietly for a long time, her eyes remaining on the glittering necklace. Finally, she spoke. "I want the house," she demanded, "And all the rest of your savings."

"You can't have the house," he responded sharply. "This was my mother's house and I'd rather see it in the hands of strangers than you continuing to defile it with your presence."

Vera smiled at him evilly. "Then you won't have your divorce."

"I've already told you - I don't need the divorce. I want to marry Anna, but she'll be with me even if I can't." He put the necklace back in the pouch and tucked it away into his pocket. Vera's eyes remained on it until it disappeared from her view.

Her eyes shifting back to him with a knowing expression, Vera said, "You're bluffing. You could have had that girl any time you wanted. And now suddenly you're willing to ruin her? I don't think so, Johnny."

"I think you're over-estimating my restraint," he responded darkly. "A man can only take so much."

"A man, perhaps. But what of your dear, sweet Anna?" she said the words as if they were a curse. "What will she do once you've carted her off to live in sin? She could be some nice farmer's wife if you leave her be now, but once she's gone with you..." Vera chuckled at him. "They'll call her a whore, and rightly so."

Bates growled, "You will not speak of her-"

"I'll speak of her any way I want to. She's trying to steal my husband away."

Quirking his lips, he responded, "I haven't been your husband in anything but name in a very long time, Vera."

Glowering back at him, she said, "In name is enough."

"And what will that name give you?" he asked. "Will it put food on your table or scotch in your glass?"

"What will it give Anna?" Vera retorted. The question brought him up short. "See? Even you recognize the power of having a name. A name means status. A name opens doors. Without a name, a woman goes from being a respectable member of society to being an object of ridicule. And I have no intention of being such a woman."

She went on, "Let your precious Anna be mocked and talked about behind closed doors. Let her be forced to lie about who she is or risk ridicule by all of those she meets. Because that is what is in store for her, Johnny. You might give her some money for her... services to you, but that will only make her a prostitute with one client."

Regarding his wife for several moments, Bates considered her words. He was bluffing, he knew, and Vera had called him on it. She seemed to know him better than he remembered. But at the same time, he knew Anna, and Vera did not.

"Anna is a very different woman from you," he informed her sincerely. "First of all, she loves me, more than you ever did. Being parted from me has been more painful than any punishment society could inflict on us for our sins. And she would rather be my mistress than continue in this manner.

"Second - you don't know Anna. You don't know how kind and loyal and hard-working she is. You don't know how much people respect her, how they look to her for help and guidance, especially now that times are so hard. She will make friends wherever she goes, no matter her circumstances. And she will take with her a glowing letter of reference from an Earl which will guarantee her a job if she wants one. But Anna won't need to work, not with me at her side."

Fixing Vera with a hard, uncompromising gaze, he said, "You, however, will have to work very soon because I'll be selling this house and everything in it. You will no longer be able to pawn or sell my mother's possessions to support your slovenly, licentious lifestyle."

Finally, he made his last offer. "I will give you the necklace now - tonight. Sell it, keep it, I don't care. And after the divorce is final, I'll give you a great deal of money, enough for you to live on comfortably for a while, until you find a job that suits you or some other man to support you. But if you refuse me again, Vera, I will do as I've said and leave you with nothing. The choice is entirely yours."

* * *

The next morning, Anna was waiting for him at the restaurant, Steven having let her into the empty dining area once again. She lit up like a street lamp at dusk at the sight of him and without a word of preamble, greeted him with a kiss.

While just as passionate as their kiss the day before, this time Bates did not let himself get swept up in the physical desire she aroused in him.

They would have plenty of time for that later.

As he pulled away, Bate gave her the news. "Vera has finally agreed to a divorce."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she asked, "How did you convince her after so long?"

"I told her that if she tried to fight it, that I would leave with you anyway. I plan to sell the house, so she will have no where to live. Essentially, she could ruin us both, but you and I, Anna, we would be happy together even if we couldn't be married. However, I told her if she grants the divorce and agrees to keep her story about Lady Mary out of the papers, I'll give her a great deal of money."

"And she agreed?"

"Grudgingly, but I think she realized she has no choice. I will likely have to give her much of my mother's inheritance, as well as most of what I've saved over the past few years, but it will be worth it to be rid of her."

"I'd give her the shirt off my back if it meant we could finally be together," Anna offered. "But don't give her a dime until after the divorce is final. If she gets it all now, there's nothing to keep her to her word."

Bates nodded his agreement. "I'm speaking to my lawyer today to get things moving. The petition will have to allege cruelty and abandonment on my part, and probably adultery. I'll admit to all of that, so she won't need to show proof. And I will have to leave the house to prove that it has broken the marriage. The last part will be easy because I plan to sell anyway."

"Where will you go?" Anna asked.

"Steven has an elderly neighbor with a room I may rent," he said. "She could use the extra income and some help around the house."

"I wish you could come back to Downton with us," she said pensively.

"I'm afraid that when I left with Vera, His Lordship and I were not on the best of terms. Not giving him time to find a replacement left everyone in the lurch, and he was very unforgiving of such reprehensible conduct."

"But surely if he knew the truth..."

"I don't want him to know," Bates interrupted her softly. "Hearing such a story about his own daughter, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. It is bad enough that I risked Vera selling it to the papers just so we could be happy together."

"But she won't?" Anna inquired, obviously worried.

"She says she won't, not if she's paid. Not that I trust her, but..." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"I think we should tell Lady Mary. There was a man she considered marrying, Sir Richard Carlisle, that is in the newspaper business. She turned down his proposal but I think they're still on speaking terms. He might be able to help."

"It couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose," Bates allowed.

Anna smiled at him, her joy so infectious that he could not help but beam back at her. He leaned down to kiss her again, just to enjoy the freedom of it, their lips touching chastely before he pulled away.

"I can hardly wait to marry you, Anna Smith," he told her. He considered discussing where they might live and if she wanted to stay at Downton. He supposed that he could find a place in Ripon to work so she could keep her position, if Lord Grantham did not disapprove, of course. And maybe in time he could earn back his place as the Earl's valet, especially if Anna put in a good word for him.

But Bates had already learned his lesson once. He would be making no plans for the future with Anna until he was truly free of Vera.

"When does the family return to Downton?" he asked instead, knowing Anna would go with them as well.

"Soon, unfortunately. I won't be able to come and see you the next few days for all the packing that needs done."

"Just as well," he lamented, "with all the packing and moving I'll be doing. But I will miss you."

He reached out to stroke her cheek with his palm, and she leaned into the touch. The softness of her skin never failed to amaze him and he wondered how she could stand the feel of his rough, calloused hands on her. But her sigh of contentment drove away his doubts.

"You'll write to me when things are settled?" she asked.

"I'll write to you sooner, if you'd like," Bates offered.

Anna nodded eagerly. "Yes, I would like that very much."

She reached up and took his hand touching her face. Wrapping both of her own small hands around it, she brought it to her lips and kissed his palm. The warmth of her went through him like a bolt of lightening, and Bates felt his ability to resist her crumbling.

"You better head back," he suggested, forcing himself to say the words.

"If I don't see you before we leave..." she began in earnest.

Bates assured her, "Then you'll see me in a few months."

Anna stepped away from him but paused before exiting through the restaurant door. "This isn't a dream, is it?" she asked. "This is really happening?"

"My dreams are never this beautiful," Bates assured her. He watched her go, unable to take his eyes off her tiny figure.

Once she was gone, he wondered back into the kitchen feeling a little dazed. Steven looked at him expectantly and Bates filled him in on his conversations with both Vera and Anna.

"You know, if things don't work out, you could always bring that lass back here and stay working for me," the cook told him. "I don't give a fig whether she's got a ring on her finger or not. Besides, you're a hard worker, John. I'd hate to lose you."

"I'll consider it," Bates responded good-naturedly. He truly hoped that Vera was telling the truth about the divorce.

If so, and he was finally able to marry Anna, Bates knew that she would prefer to stay at Downton if it was possible. She'd spent most of her life working in that house, from the time she began as a young maid of fourteen years. Through hard work and determination, Anna had risen through the ranks downstairs until she became head housemaid and then took on looking after all three of the Earl's daughters. And now he knew from Mrs. Hughes that she'd finally been promoted to a true lady's maid. He could not have been prouder of her.

The thought of having to ask her to give all that up still left him awash with dread.

"Would you have really done it?" Steven asked curiously. "Would you have gone off to live in sin with Anna? Or were you bluffing after all?"

Bates considered the question for a long time. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I really don't."

* * *

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Special thanks to the awesome readers who've been leaving reviews of this story. Your feedback means so much. This fic will probably be wrapped up in another chapter or two.**

* * *

Months passed as his lawyer pushed the divorce through the system. Vera had grumbled at first, and then she'd outright thrown things at him and screamed bloody murder when he sold off the last of the possessions from his mother's house and put it on the market.

"Where am I supposed to go?" she demanded. "If you want this divorce, you must give me the money now so I can support myself."

"You'll have the money once the divorce is finalized and not a minute sooner," Bates informed her, bargaining from a position of strength. "As far as supporting yourself, I'd say it is in your best interest to ensure this divorce goes through as quickly and smoothly as possible."

If looks could kill, as the saying went, Bates would have been dead on the spot.

"And if I sell my story of the Turkish diplomats to the papers? Perhaps I should support myself with it?" she sneered.

Bates refused to flinch. "If you sell the story, you won't get a dime out of me. Keep it to yourself and I'll make it worth your while."

"A woman must have somewhere to live and something to live on, Johnny," she appealed sweetly, or as sweetly as Vera could act as she did her very best to drive him to the poor house.

"I haven't sold the house yet."

"But you've gotten rid of all the furniture!"

He shrugged unapologetically. "You can't eat furniture, either," he commented and left it at that.

Her expression morphed rapidly back to anger and she hurled insults and years of remembered unkindness at him. But Vera's vitriol could no longer harm him or Anna. Still, he gave her a few pounds to subsist on until she found a position to support herself.

In the mean time, Anna wrote to him of Lady Mary's conversation with Sir Richard Carlisle. While Lady Mary had been hesitant to tell her almost-fiancé anything so salacious about herself, apparently some vestiges of their former friendship lingered as he arranged for Mary to buy the story from Vera - through him, of course - and keep it completely under wraps.

Bates missed Anna in those months, as he lay in bed in his rented room in old Ms. Harper's home. As a retired housekeeper for a minor family from York, Ms. Harper enjoyed having conversations with him in her sitting room in the evening. He told the kindly woman stories from Downton and she ruminated wistfully on her time working in a big house.

"Of course, in my day, a valet and a housemaid would not have been allowed to court," she scolded him good-naturedly, Steven having told her about his situation.

"Probably for the best," Bates agreed with her in amusement. "Of course, we didn't have a proper courtship."

"I should think not," Ms. Harper harrumphed. "A married man. You really should be ashamed of yourself. But Steven tells me your wife was a horror. Not an excuse, of course."

Bates shook his head. "I was as much to blame as she for the fall of our marriage. But I cleaned myself up. I did everything I could to be a proper man again in the world, despite this," he said, gesturing to his bad leg.

"Did you never think of going back to her and trying to resolve things? Marriage is a serious business," the old woman reminded him, "not to be taken lightly or abandoned just because some young filly draws your eye."

"I know," he acknowledged. "Perhaps if Vera had been around when I got out of prison... but she was gone. And she'd already told me I was no used to her as a cripple anyway. Our marriage was over long before I met Anna."

Frowning, Ms. Harper did not respond to this.

"And I did not intent to fall in love with Anna, you see," he went on. "In fact, I did everything in my power to keep our relationship purely friendship."

"Oh did you?" she asked sardonically. But Ms. Harper did not know Bates the way others did. She did not know of the years he spent torn over Anna's affections and his unworthiness of her and his inability to marry her. She had no idea what it felt like to have met the true love of your life, only to be foreclosed from ever being with that person because of a lifetime of mistakes.

"Well, I suppose when you've gotten this divorce decree, you'll be free to do as you like," Ms. Harper commented. "And you're doing things properly now, living apart like this until you've got things settled. That's the important thing. Nothing worse than dishonorable men who lure young maids away with promises of love and marriage only to leave them alone and used up with no place to go."

Bates nodded at the sentiment, although the words pressed on him. He'd considered doing just what she'd described with Anna, all except the part about leaving her alone. He knew that the legitimacy of marriage was necessary to keep the good opinion of the Ms. Harpers of the world, and not for the first time, he wished that his legal separation from Vera could finally be done.

* * *

Anna wrote to him faithfully from Downton every week, and though hesitant at first, he wrote back to her. She told him of all the things that had happened at the house since he'd left, including some of the major events Mrs. Hughes had told him about. Anna also described her longing for him and for the start of their new life together. He fell asleep with her words in his head, the image of her behind his eyes, and the feel of her warmth ghosting his skin.

A week before the divorce decree was to become finalized, Bates received a visitor. As he entered the kitchen and began tying on his apron, Steven appeared from the dining area.

"First you got the finest looking lass I've seen this side of the channel beating down my door first thing in the morning, and now a real honest-to-goodness Earl is waitin' to talk to you."

Confused, Bates asked, "Lord Grantham's here?"

Steven affirmed, "As I live and breath, in my dining room."

Removing his apron, Bates quickly left the kitchen for the dining area, finding his former employer standing in the empty space, looking around somewhat uncomfortably.

"My lord," he greeted the man.

"Bates," Lord Grantham responded, turning to face him fully. "Anna said I could find you here."

The nobleman smiled and looked genuinely glad to see him.

"I am at your disposal, milord." He gestured to the table he'd shared with Anna on the mornings she'd visited him at the restaurant, and Lord Grantham sat adjacent to him.

"I understand that you are soon to be divorced."

"God willing," Bates answered, "it should be done in a little more than a week."

"And when that's taken care of, you and Anna still intend to wed?"

"Yes, we do."

Lord Grantham nodded, taking this answer in. He took a breath before stating, "Bates, I know we did not leave things on the best of terms when you left for London, but I was wondering if you would consider returning to Downton as my valet?"

Surprised, Bates took in a sharp breath. "The fault was entirely mine, milord. But I would be honored to return."

"You see... I have it on good authority that the reasons behind your leaving were more noble and altruistic than I initially believed," the Earl went on. "I know I should have contacted you sooner, but I felt you needed to work things out with your wife first."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Bates, not until you've told me why exactly you left."

He sighed at the question, already expecting it. "I'd rather not say, milord, as I'm sure its just stuff and nonsense."

"I very much doubt you'd have left Downton - and Anna, for that matter - and stayed away for so long over nonsense."

Frowning, he said, "It was just a scurrilous rumor Vera got from somewhere about a member of your family. I won't bring myself to repeat it."

Lord Grantham was silent for a moment, but kept eye contact with his former valet. Finally he asked softly, "Was it about Mary and the Turkish diplomat?"

Surprised that His Lordship had found out about the matter, Bates confirmed, "It was, milord."

"I heard about it from Cora, just before Mary got engaged to Matthew."

Bates nodded slowly, betraying no emotion over his employer essentially admitting the trueness of the story. Part of him wondered how this secret had ever escaped Downton.

"Then you understand why I had to leave and why I couldn't tell you."

Lord Grantham inclined his head. "I understand that you stood there, saving my family from scandal, while I hurled insults at you."

"You were right to be upset."

"I was a fool," the Earl retorted. "But I intend to fix my mistake. Once things are settled, come back to Downton. You'll have a place there as long as I'm alive, you and Anna both. I'll make sure there's a cottage near the house ready for you. Do you know where you were planning to be married?"

Bates shook his head. "I hadn't thought about it, milord. As a divorcee, I won't be allowed to marry in a church. So perhaps the registrar's office in Ripon, once we get a license."

But Lord Grantham shook his head. "That doesn't seem right. You and Anna should have everyone around to witness it. What do you say to a small ceremony outside in the garden? I'll talk to the registrar about coming to the house to perform the ceremony."

"I can't imagine anything more lovely," Bates confessed, his imagination already conjuring images of Anna in a white dress surrounded by blooming spring flowers. While they wouldn't be in a church, which he wondered if she secretly wished for, they would at least be someplace special.

"Then its settled."

The Earl stood from the table and Bates followed suit. The two men regarded each other for a moment more before they shook hands.

"I look forward to having you back, Bates. It hasn't been the same without you."

"I am eager as well, milord. I appreciate this second chance."

Quirking his lips, Grantham responded, "Considering the reasons for your leaving, let us just consider this an extension on your first."

* * *

Once again packing all of his worldly possessions into a single suitcase, Bates said farewell to Ms. Harper and Steven, who had dropped by to wish him on his way.

"You make that girl an honest woman, you hear?" the landlady warned him.

"She's already an honest woman," Bates told her before turning to his friend. "And thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Pay you a pittance to peel potatoes and chop onions?" the other man asked with a laugh, "Not much to thank about that."

"You've been a good friend, and I appreciate it," Bates said.

"Well, if you ever find yourself back in London in search of a job, you know where to find me," Steven told him.

And finally, after almost three years spent away from Downton, Bates set off for the train station to return. He had not written Anna of when to expect his arrival because he was not sure when the divorce decree would be deemed final by the courts. But the afternoon before he'd heard from his attorney - the matter was done. He had only to distribute the money he'd agreed to pay Vera, and that would also be handled by his counsel. Sir Richard Carlisle's arrangement to buy Vera's story and completely gag would likewise be finalized at the same time.

His now ex-wife had tried to muck things up at the last minute, of course, writing to the court to claim that he had paid her for the divorce. But after admitting to the financial arrangements, his attorney was able to easily argue that the money agreed to be paid was only to ensure Vera's support until she could get back on her feet. From the way the attorney argued it, Bates ended up sounding magnanimous in his generosity. The judge dismissed Vera's claim and the divorce went through as scheduled.

And Bates was finally free.

He could not keep his mind from wandering during the train ride, his thoughts bringing him back to Anna again and again. He thought of their life together, of all the things he could do to make her happy. After paying off Vera, he had a little money leftover from his mother's inheritance, and they would get more still when he managed to sell the house, if they didn't decide to just rent it out for the time being. But Bates knew that Anna did not want the kinds of things money could buy.

She wanted him to light the fire in their sitting room and read to her in the evenings. She wanted him to walk her to church on Sundays and sit in the pew beside her, to hold her gloved hand in his and gently squeeze her fingers as he smiled down at her. She wanted nights of shared passion and mornings of them cuddling together, warm and dozing.

Bates knew what Anna wanted from him because she'd told him in her letters over the past months, since he'd last seen her in London. She cared nothing for jewelry and clothing the way Vera had. What she desired from him was far more substantial than such possessions.

Once the train had reached his destination, Bates stepped out onto the platform, his case in hand. The walk to Downton would take some time, but he looked forward to the scenery.

Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure exit one of the first class compartments. "Bates!" Lady Mary greeted him warmly. "Anna didn't tell me you would be on this train."

"She didn't know when I was coming today, milady," he explained, smiling at the strange sense of deja vu. "I didn't know myself until yesterday."

"Then everything is finally settled?" she asked, obviously referring to the divorce.

"Yes," Bates answered, breathing a fresh sigh of relief. "It is settled and done with."

She nodded, her appreciation of him obvious as she regarded him with her rich, dark eyes. Bates found himself looking forward to seeing her marry the young Mr. Crawley. They would make a good match.

"Let me give you a lift to the house," she offered. "I'm sure Anna will be mad to see you."

"That would be much appreciated, milady," he thanked her knowing that a ride would bring him to Anna much more quickly.

* * *

TBC

**A/N: I tried to stay intentionally vague about the divorce decree as my understanding of the process in this time and place is pretty limited. But it always bugged me that Bates seemed to get done in by terrible legal advice both during his divorce and at his trial. I also re-purposed some of the lines/situations from the show in this and prior chapters as part of my re-imaging of how this storyline could have gone. Reviews and feedback are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Last chapter! Big shout out to my reviewers for this story. Your feedback has been great and I hope you enjoy the conclusion.**

* * *

While Anna did not know he would be arriving, she had been informed to wait for Lady Mary's car at the front of the house. She smiled brightly at the sight of Bates emerging from the front passenger's seat, her body nearly trembling at the barely restrained joy. He wished he could kiss her then and there, but decorum forced him to stop several feet away from her as the chauffer helped Lady Mary out of the car.

"You should have said you were coming," she chided him, the censure having no bite as she forced the words out through an unrestrained grin.

"I didn't know until yesterday," he answered, glancing as Lady Mary approached them.

Looking from her father's valet to her maid and back to the valet again, she raised an eyebrow and said, "Now this is a sad reunion. If I go inside will you promise to make it a little more exciting for her, Bates?"

Not waiting for a reply, Lady Mary flashed them both a knowing smirk and headed into the house. The moment she was out of sight, his hands were on Anna's cheeks, bringing her lips to his. His fingers slid back to touch her hair, careful not to muss it as she kissed him back just as firmly. Neither of them paid any attention to the chauffer as he drove the car around the house to the garage.

Finally, sensing the kiss was becoming too intimate for others to accidentally witness, Bates pulled away.

"I'm so happy to see you," she told him, beaming so much that tears had begun to form in her eyes. "I didn't realize a person could be this happy."

"I know what you mean," He agreed. "I'm grateful to be back here, with you."

She walked him around the house to the servants' hall. His arrival caused a bit of a fuss as both Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes greeted him back warmly. Some of the newer servants who didn't know Bates seemed confused as to their exuberance over the appearance of the crippled valet, but even Mrs. Patmore and Daisy came out to say their hello's. Thomas glowered at him but offered no insult, which was as welcoming of a greeting from the man as he'd ever received.

By that evening, Bates was installed in a room upstairs, his lone bag unpacked and safely stored away until he would need it again. And with any luck, the plans he'd begun with Lord Grantham would come to fruition soon and he would be moving back out of the house and into a cottage with Anna in short order. But first, there was something very important he needed to do.

Bates met Anna out in the courtyard that evening after everyone else had gone to bed. With all the bustle of his return, they'd barely gotten a moment alone together since he'd first seen her standing outside the house. He noticed that she looked very smart in her simple black dress, although he missed the maid's uniforms he used to see her wear.

"Hello," he said as she approached.

"Good evening, Mr. Bates," Anna responded, grinning at him in delight as she moved very close to him, so close they almost touched.

"I think we've reached the point where you may call me by my first name," he remarked softly.

"John."

She breathed the syllable like a prayer to heaven and the sensuality in her voice sent chills down his spine. A moment later, she moved as if to kiss him, but he intercepted her hands in mid-air as they went to his wrap around his neck. Holding them gently, he entwined her fingers with his own.

"There's something I have to ask you, something I regret not doing properly before," he said. She watched him with curious, questioning eyes. "You'll forgive me for not getting down on one knee, but... Anna May Smith, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Her smile could not have been wider nor her countenance more beautiful as she answered a few seconds later, "I don't know, John. This is so sudden. I'll have to think about it." He chuckled at the joke when he realized she was teasing him, and she giggled despite herself before following quickly, "Yes, of course I'll marry you, you silly beggar."

This time, he did not halt her kiss. Their lips touched chastely and while he wanted more, John knew that he would have trouble stopping himself if they let things get too far. Anna inspired in him a passion he had trouble controlling despite decades of experience.

"We can have the ceremony whenever you're ready," he said. "We could go to the registrar's office in Ripon, or... Lord Grantham offered us use of the garden here at Downton. He said he could arrange the registrar to come."

Anna looked up at him in bemusement. "You already started planning our wedding with His Lordship?" she asked.

Chagrined, Bates lowered his head. "I suppose I should have talked to you first. But he made the offer. I know we can't be married in a church, and I regret you can't have that. But I thought you might like something more special than just going to the registrar's office."

"As long as I'm marrying you, it will be special," she declared. "No matter where it is."

"And then, once we're married... His Lordship has a cottage waiting for us. Actually, I'm going down there tomorrow afternoon to see what needs to be done."

"I'll go with you," Anna offered. "I'm sure Mrs. Hughes will let me switch my half day."

"He said it might take a little work to make it comfortable."

She smiled at him. "You know I don't mind work."

"I know."

"But before we go down there... I think you should go into Ripon and take out a special license so we can get married as soon as possible. I don't care how much it costs. I'm not sure how much longer I can go without being your wife, Mister Bates."

He beamed at her, also somewhat amused by her inability to use his first name. "Whatever you wish," he stated.

* * *

The cottage was not filthy, but the sight of the dirty walls and grungy floors brought Bates up short. The space would definitely need a great deal of work to be ready so quickly. And Bates wanted it to be ready for Anna by the day they wed. She'd been forced to wait for so long already, and any further delay was untenable.

Anna labored with him that afternoon, spending every minute of her half day scrubbing and painting. Bates took the time to effect some repairs in places on the floor and baseboards, sweeping out the cupboard and cleaning the old stove. They did not work in silence. Rather, Bates listened as Anna told him stories from their three years apart, her quick wit and sweet manner highlighting the funnier tales and bringing solemnness to the sad ones.

"I told Lady Mary about your proposal," she mentioned after a time.

"What did she say?"

"She approved."

"That's good to hear."

Anna nodded. "She also said everything went through with Sir Richard and Vera. She's now gagged from selling the story to anyone else. Of course, she should be happy, getting paid twice to keep her mouth shut over something she had no business sticking her nose in."

Bates shook his head. "Vera is never happy."

"Well she can't hurt us any more now."

While not a particularly superstitious man, Bates found himself touching wood just in case. But he was quickly distracted from such thoughts by Anna's teasing about his painting skills. She refused to let him get on the ladder, relegating him instead to the work on the lower portion of the walls.

"I think it's coming along nicely," she pronounced, surveying their work.

"The chimney will need some repairs by next year," he responded, "and the windows frames upstairs need to be replaced. But yes, it is coming along."

Anna smiled at him. "I don't think the chimney or window frames need to be fixed before we can move in, do you?" she asked.

"No, but I want this to be a nice home for you," Bates said. He left unspoken his next thought, which was how much she was giving up to be his wife. The least he could offer her was this solid, well repaired cottage.

"Any home with you would be lovely, Mister Bates." He raised an eyebrow at her slip, and she quickly amended herself. "John." Giggling, she admitted, "It sounds so odd to say your first name. You've always been Mister Bates to me."

"You just need more practice," he suggested.

Blushing slightly, she attempted it again. "John."

"I like the way you say it," Bates observed.

"What about... my husband?" Anna tried.

With a sigh slowly released, he admitted, "I do like the sound of that."

"You try it."

"Anna..."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, the paint brush in her hand all but forgotten. Her eyes flashing with humor, she insisted, "Just try it. I know it will be different since I won't be your first. But I want to hear how it sounds from you."

Humoring her, Bates voiced, "My wife, Anna."

Somehow, the inflection did sound different, as though he pronounced the word an entirely unique way for Anna than he had with Vera. Of course, he had always loved her first name, the simple syllables rolling off his tongue so easily.

"Back to work for us," she said, turning to the unpainted portion of the wall she was at. With a knowing smirk at him, she added, "John."

* * *

Lady Mary gifted her a simple white dress for the wedding and Mrs. Hughes helped her put together a bouquet. The service was small, just the servants and the family standing together in the garden. Surprisingly, even the Dowager Countess attended, sitting in a chair off to one side. When questioned on her presence by Lady Grantham, the older woman said archly, "And why shouldn't I be here? I've always liked Anna."

As they repeated their vows, neither Bates or Anna took their eyes off of the other. The garden and the witnesses and the rest of the world faded away, leaving only the two of them as they made their commitments.

Afterwards, each of the family members congratulated them before Bates, Anna, and the rest of the servants went downstairs to a special luncheon prepared by Mrs. Patmore and Daisy. Jimmy played the piano while a couple of the hall boys threw confetti across the table. Anna sat next to her husband, her hand on his arm, laughing at the merriment. Beside her, Bates could barely stop smiling for ten seconds at a time, nor could he take his eyes off his lovely new wife.

At the end of the luncheon, Mr. Carson banished them from the house and they made their way down to the cottage that Bates had managed to finish fixing up the day before.

"I regret that I cannot carry you across the threshold," he lamented to Anna as he opened the door for her.

"Don't be silly," she responded, stepping past him into their new space. She looked around, taking stock. While Anna had helped him with most of the painting and hanging of curtains, Bates had finished the final touches of arranging furnishings and shelving books the day before. With a contented sigh, Anna said, "I love it."

But he had eyes only for the woman in front of him. "I love _you_," he countered, taking a step towards her.

For once, nothing stood between them. Not his past or his ex-wife or even the dictates of society. They both held the blessings of everyone they cared about, and not only did they finally belong to each other, but they had a place to call their own. And Bates was free - not only to love her with all his heart and soul, but to give her everything he had.

In an instant, his arms were around her, his lips claiming hers with unmuted ferocity. His fingers touched her hair, no longer afraid of ruining the neat bun, as he stepped close to her. Bates no longer hid his desire for her, nor did he fight against it.

Anna returned his kiss with enthusiasm. She did not pull away from him, but rather molded her body to his, smiling against his lips as she heard him gasp in surprise at her confidence.

When Bates finally pulled away from his temptress of a wife, she was grinning at him almost as widely as she'd done while they exchanged their vows that morning. "Well, Mister John Bates, my new husband," she told him, stretching out each word as she pulled him towards the stairs that would lead to their marital bed, "I think it is finally time for me to have my way with you."

_fin_


End file.
